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Old 08-12-2017, 03:15 PM
crazyphil crazyphil is offline
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Default A LITTLE SEVENTREES

A very good friend sent me this little Seventrees holster.
I remember Red Nichols telling us Paris Theodore was good
at making his holsters out of a single piece of leather, and
this is a good example. He also understood the minimalist
concept.

The cant is quite radical. I was never good at geometry, but
I figure the butt is pitched forward about 45 degrees from
perpendicular.

I like it and plan to carry my 642 in it for a while.
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Old 08-12-2017, 03:24 PM
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Phil, is it marked Seventrees? I ask because it also looks as if it could be Gaylord's work.
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Old 08-12-2017, 03:28 PM
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Phil, is it marked Seventrees? I ask because it also looks as if it could be Gaylord's work.
It was one of those maker marks in the rough so wear has
almost did away with it, but I can make out a long word
across the top of the belt loop right under the fold, the way
SEVENTREES was marked.
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Old 08-12-2017, 03:36 PM
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Looks like it was made for small of the back carry
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Old 08-12-2017, 03:45 PM
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Looks like it was made for small of the back carry
I don't like small of back carry, but right behind right hip bone
is where it works well.
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Old 08-12-2017, 03:57 PM
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Quote:
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I don't like small of back carry, but right behind right hip bone
is where it works well.
I have been told that a lot of guys in Idaho carry that way.
And some of the gals!
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Old 08-12-2017, 04:23 PM
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I have been told that a lot of guys in Idaho carry that way.
And some of the gals!
It must be the right way. That's how John Wayne carried.
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Old 08-12-2017, 10:18 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by -db- View Post
Phil, is it marked Seventrees? I ask because it also looks as if it could be Gaylord's work.
The two makers used very different 'signature' stitch patterns to close the belt loop (notice the images have the maker's name on them):

scp 53 deg (2).jpg

gaylord (4)a.jpeg

So db is right -- it's a Gaylord.

The Seventrees (upper pic) measures a massive 53 degrees carry angle (my imaging software measures this quite precisely). The draw during Paris' time, and it's described by Elmer Keith in one of his books or articles, is called the 'sling draw' -- bend forward, grasp the pistol and sling it towards the target using inertia from the stored energy in the pistol's weight and the shooter's arm. Then fire if necessary.

In Tom Threepersons' time, his draw was described as bringing the pistol down onto the target, rather than up to it or even straight towards it. Hard to argue his success rate given the many men he killed and yet he died of old age.

I recall on a recent post that there is a long, inked mark on some (I assume later) Gaylord's. I ran across it and it has an even different stitching pattern there!
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Old 08-13-2017, 12:06 AM
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Thanks for the ID Red, and you too -db-
I have wanted a Chic Gaylord holster for a long time.
Now I have one, but I don't have a Seventrees.
That's a fair trade.

BTW I "discovered" the loop will only accomodate
a 1" belt. I would have to go back to the 50s or 60s
to find my 1" belt. Oh well, it's too rare to wear anyway.
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Old 08-13-2017, 04:05 AM
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A bit of "minor league" trivia: Back when revolvers were the thing to carry, I re-sewed the belt loops on my holsters to a similar angle. It was not only more comfortable, but it helped to keep the butt from digging into the car seat and slowing the draw while seated. I continued the practice after switching to the 669 in 1989 (and the 6906 and 3913 later.) We also used to increase the angle on crossdraws. It was common to see a cop with a 6" revolver that could be drawn nearly horizontally, also an advantage when seated. I can see these theories in Phil's holster. A very nice find!
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Old 08-13-2017, 05:21 PM
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A few more Seventrees- these are the holsters I found recently. According to Red's photos these are all Seventrees.
I've been under the impression that Chic Gaylord was a one man shop; correspondence I have between Evaluators Ltd. & Seventrees seems to indicate a larger operation. Any thoughts ?
Red, of course I'm now looking for the exception that proves the rule-that is a very useful piece of information, thanks for providing it.
Phil, never trust an "X pert".
Regards,
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Old 08-13-2017, 06:16 PM
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Turnerriver was kind enough to send me a rear view of some of his Seventrees. John, did you notice that this one (I have a new, giant monitor) was moulded twice: once to a Smith and once to a Colt? Very clear, the impressions of the unique shapes of Smith and Colt rear sights and Smith and Colt trigger guards (could the relative position of the cylinders really be that different?).

paris by witty (5).jpg

It's apparent from this image and others, that Paris was using a rubber-faced press to mould his holsters at the outset, then some hand shaping afterwards. Here, it's the sheer depth and uniformity of the impressions; on others it's the coarse texture on the grain side of the holster face, which happens when the pores of the rubber spread under pressure, so leaves the coarse texture behind. A press actually hardens the surface of the leather through compression of the fibres, which is a good thing but it was quite a new notion in Chic Gaylord's day (the 1950s).
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Old 08-13-2017, 09:01 PM
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Here's what moulding with a rubber pad does to the grain side of leather, in this case on a Seventrees that was the case in point:

paddle.jpg

The industry (all of it?) learnt to use a polyurethane skin over the rubber long ago, because it is not porous and so there are no pores to expand during the pressure.

Ever wondered, too, why there is a gap between the underside of the barrel, and the stitched seam (there is no actual welt there) of a Gaylord or Seventees? It's to allow the barrel to rotate inside the holster during the 'sling draw'. It wasn't just Ojala who though it would be 'good' for a piece of pistol to be able to shift inside the holster (in his case the cylinder rotation while cocking the SAA).
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Old 08-15-2017, 05:11 AM
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I found this old Uncle Mike's Mirage gun belt hiding on my belt rack.
It measures about 1 & 1/4" and it fits, as shown, but quite snug, as
it should be. That cant will take a little bit getting used to.
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Old 09-07-2017, 07:43 AM
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A BIG THANK YOU to turnerriver for helping me acquire a Chic Gaylord
and a Seventrees holster for my collection. I have always wanted them
but had just about given up on ever having either one.
And to -db- who is quite an expert at identifying holster makers, for
noticing that the little black Seventrees was a Gaylord. And of course
to Red for authenticating -db- noticing that it was a Gaylord and not
a Seventrees, by the "stitch signature".
Now, thanks to these good friends, I have about every holster in my
collection that I ever wanted. The only one I can think of that is still
missing is a genuine Brill. I might still find one if I'm around long
enough.
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